Overview:What are Stat Caps? What is a Semi-Soft Stat Cap? What is a Stat’s “Best Buy Portion”? What is a Stat’s “Beginner’s Portion”?

When deciding between two augment gems to upgrade, select the Stat not yet at its Semi-Soft Stat Cap. Especially at Level 25.

Version 1.4:Haste has a -40% Semi-Soft Stat Cap. At Level 25 this is approximately 1,136 points.Magic has a +225 Bonus Damage Semi-Soft Stat Cap. At Level 25 this is approximately 1,127 points.Crit has a 40% Semi-Soft Stat Cap. At Level 25 this is approximately 1,103 points. Crit starts at 5% with zero points.Crit Power has a 250% Semi-Soft Stat Cap. At Level 25 this is approximately 945 points. Crit Power starts at 150% with zero points.Melee has a +225 Bonus Damage Semi-Soft Stat Cap. At Level 25 this is approximately 1,127 points.Dodge has a 40% Semi-Soft Stat Cap. At Level 25 this is approximately 1,103 points. Dodge starts at 5% with zero points.

Background: Going Up Levels and Tier 9 ItemsThe amount of points needed in a Stat for Y% or Y Bonus Damage goes up every time you go up a level. To get the same Y at a higher level, you need to upgrade Tier Items, Augment Gems and Tomes/ Hero Training. Ex: Haste -40% requires fewer points at Level 10, but requires approximately 1,136 points at Level 25.

This is why buying Tier 9 Items at Level 10 gives you such a huge advantage. Tier 9 Items, and Tier 3 Gems, are designed for Level 25 characters and Fellmarsh. The same points in a stat, the same Damage Per Second the same Armor Rating used against a Level 10 monster is devastating, as CJ can testify. If you are Level 10, and enjoying the game, seriously consider buying the Tier 9 Armor Bundle (20% off and very good Armor Rating). If you really like the game consider buying all Tier 9 Items.

Background: Tier 3 GemsIf have at least one Level 25 character, and you are starting a second character, and plan on buying any Tier 3 Gems with Gold Shields, buy them as soon as possible to get maximum affect and maximum enjoyment from your purchase. For an early Christmas present, I bought CJ some Tier 3 Gems for her starting War Mage. Most effective with Tier 6/9 Items, but works with any Tier Item.

Background: Soft & Hard CapsA Soft Stat Cap is the maximum a character can get from Tier items, Gems & Tomes. Ex: Dodge Rating has a Soft Cap of 50%. Even if you get all Tier 11 Items and 20 Tier 4 Dodge Gems and Maximum Dodge Tome, you cannot exceed Dodge 50%. Soft Caps are Crit and Dodge.

A Hard Stat Cap is the maximum a character can get from everything (Tier items, Gems, Tomes, Abilities, Blessings, Favors, etc.). Ex: Dodge Rating has a Hard Cap of 75%. If you have 40% Dodge and your Shadow Walker uses Shadow Stalker rank 3 (+50% Dodge), you do not get 90% Dodge, instead you get 75% Dodge.

( viewtopic.php?f=6&t=140 )“-[quote=admin]Are there stat caps in the game? Yes, there are both hard and soft stat caps in game. A soft cap is the limit that you can boost a stat without buffs. The hard cap is the highest as stat can be. Even with buffs, you cannot go over the hard cap. The in game stat caps are: 1) Crit – soft cap: 50% Hard cap 100% 2) Crit Power – 300% Hard cap 3) Dodge – soft cap: 50% Hard cap 75% 4) Haste – 50% Hard cap 5) Physical resist-50% Hard cap 6) Magic Resist – 50% Hard cap 7) Armor – 40% hard cap** **This is added to the magic and physical resist for a total of 90%[/quote]-“

Background: Stat Caps and Shadow WalkersWhy Soft Stat Caps and not just Hard Stat Caps? Originally Book of Heroes had only Hard Caps with Crit 50% and Dodge 50%. Shadow Walkers have two abilities, Vanish rank 3 (+50% Crit & +50% Crit Power) and Shadow Stalker rank 3 (+50% Dodge), that bumped up against these Stat Caps. If you spent real world money and bought Tier 3 Crit Gems and Tier 3 Dodge Gems, all the money you spent gave you +0 Crit and +0 Dodge as soon as you used these two abilities. With the current system of Soft Stat Caps, all three classes have a Soft Stat Cap of 50% Crit and 50% Dodge, but the Hard Stat Cap of 100% Crit and 75% Dodge lets Shadow Walkers use these two abilities and still get benefits from Gold Shields spend on Crit and Dodge Gems.

Last edited by Bj_Knows on Sun Aug 26, 2012 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Body:Semi-Soft Stat CapWhen you first add points to a Stat, every time you double your points the percentage doubles as long as you stay the same Level. Ex: 200 points in Haste will give you twice the percentage as 100 points in Haste. Ex: At level 25, 448 points in Haste gives you -15.8% (28.35 points for each -1%) while 804 points in Haste gives you -28.35% (28.35 points for each -1%). We shall call this the a Stat’s “Best Buy Portion” (or the “Beginner’s Portion” or a Linear Equation). Every +1% or -1% or +1 Bonus Damage costs you X points based on your character’s Level. With X getting larger every time you go up a level.

Once you hit the Semi-Soft Stat Cap, for your current Level, doubling your points does not double your effectiveness. Ex: At Level 25, 804 points in Haste gives you -28.35% (28.35 points for each -1%). 1,624 points does not give you -56.7% instead you get -42.16% (38.52 points for each -1%). Somewhere between 804 points and 1,624 you hit the Semi-Soft Stat Cap. Once you hit a Semi-Soft Stat Cap, you hit the “Expensive Portion” (or the “Expert’s Portion”). Every +1% or -1% or +1 Bonus Damage costs you more and more points, even if your character’s Level stays the same.

Haste has a Semi-Soft Stat Cap of -40.0%. At Level 25 this requires approximately 1,136 points. Anything less than -40.0% give you approximately -1% per 28.35 points. Anything more than the Semi-Soft Stat Cap gets increasingly more expensive. 1,192 points does not give you -42.05%, instead you get -40.25% (29.61 points for each -1%). 1,444 points does not give you -50.93%, instead you get -41.36 (34.91 points for each -1%). 1,624 points does not give you -57.28%, instead you get -42.16% (38.52 points for each -1%)

Upgrading Augment GemsUpgrading an augment gem for a Stat that has not yet reached the Semi-Soft Stat Cap, will give you more combat effectiveness than upgrading one that is past the Semi-Soft Stat Cap. Ex: If you are trying to decide between upgrading a Crit or a Crit Power Gem, and your Crit is 30% (Semi-Soft Cap 40%) but your Crit Power is 280% (Semi-Soft Cap 250%), you will increase your Damage Per Second more by upgrading the Crit Gem. This is especially true when you reach the Level Cap (currently Level 25).

MY PERSONAL OPINIONI love the version 1.4, Haste -40% Semi-Soft Stat Cap. It solves almost all the problems with v1.0 to v1.2 Haste.I love the version 1.4, Crit Power 250% Semi-Soft Stat Cap (and the Crit 100% Hard Stat Cap). It solves almost all the problems with v1.2 Crit Power.I love the version 1.4, Magic/ Melee +225 Bonus Damage Semi-Soft Stat Cap. I makes fast combat time abilities like Justicar’s Radiant Light and Shadow Walker’s Reflexive Strike worth using on a regular basis.

Since there is already a Blessing for Haste, Magic & Melee, Physical Resist & Magic Resist; it would be cool if there was a Blessing for Crit and Crit Power. This would be especially useful with Runes during Onslaught Raids.

Are any of the actual formulas known once you get past the semi soft caps? I suppose with enough data we could calculate the regressions.

It would be cool to make a character builder.

EDIT - Put some effort in and came up with some good information that I am 'pretty sure' is correct. The game does do some rounding so the decimals may or may not be exact. Like, off by 0.01% sometimes.

After some playing around in Excel and the help of my TI-82, I've found that Venan has left us a few magic numbers regarding the cap numbers.

1134 points total gets you to exactly the soft cap3400 points total gets you to exactly the hard cap

It seems to be the same for each stat, but I don't have enough info on the upper end near the max hard cap to verify everything.

The equality seems to make sense since all gems give the same amount of points, regardless of category.

so, if you take Haste for example, 1134 points gets you to 40% which equals 28.35 points for 1%The NEXT 2266 points will get you from 40-50% which equals 226.6 points for 1%